When Common Sense Goes Wrong

The drum being beaten incessantly by both the White House and the Media has been sending out the same message, day and night, since November: Conservatism is dead. The free market has failed and Americans have, for the first time in history, wholeheartedly embraced the principles and values of Liberalism. Or so they would have you believe.

The truth is, most Americans don't know what those values and principles really are. Liberalism is an easy sell, because it sounds nice. We want everyone to be equal, we want to help the poor , we want to help the environment, we want to help the elderly, we want to help the disabled, we want to help everybody and most importantly, we want to help you! Sounds good, doesn't it? Vote for me.

The trouble is that most Americans aren't politically aware enough to know what these platitudes imply, and even if they are, their common sense gets in the way. Now wait a minute (one may wonder), how is common sense a problem? Allow me to explain.

Most people have lots of common sense, which is good. Common sense is what keeps our feet on the ground and helps us not to make ridiculously stupid decisions. However, many politicians, academics and policy makers have little to none of this precious quality, and this is where problems arise. The lack of common sense in people who hold elite positions of power leads to some truly insane laws and regulations. Let me give you a real life example.

Dr. John Muney is a successful New York doctor who wants to offer uninsured patients a flat rate of of $79 a month for all preventative check ups and minor treatments including some surgeries. Sounds nice, right? Well, the state of New York says "no." According to the law, he MUST charge more than this. I have neither the time nor the inclination to go into detail about this stupid law, but if you're interested you can read more here.

Now an ordinary person, when exposed to a story of this level of stupidity, has a natural impulse to dismiss it as untrue. They assume it is the wild rantings of some conservative Chicken Little proclaiming that the sky is falling and get on with their day. In most situations, this is a healthy and productive reaction but, unfortunately, not when dealing with politicians. I have tried to alert many friends to news stories that I find alarming, and in almost every case they simply refuse to believe the facts. Their common sense tendency to disregard information that seems irrational or absurd is causing their brains to shut out the typical behaviour of an average member of congress.

It is my sincere opinion that if most people knew, or believed, even a fraction of what their elected officials actively advocate, the Democrats would never win another election. The country hasn't moved left, Liberals have just started to push an agenda that is so mind-blowingly nuts that no sane person can believe that's what they really want. It's actually a brilliant strategy, but it will only work until the changes they make start to directly affect people's lives in a way that's impossible to ignore. Keep your eyes open, it may happen sooner than you think.